Event Report: ALLEA at the World Science Forum 2024
ALLEA was honored to participate in the 11th World Science Forum (WSF) 2024, contributing to critical discussions on research assessment, academic freedom, and the intersection of science, policy, and society as a driver of change in a rapidly evolving geopolitical landscape. The WSF 2024 Declaration called for efficient, trusted, and creative science and policy interfaces to respond to disruptive global transformations.
Held under the theme “The Science and Policy Interface at the Time of Global Transformations”, WSF 2024 took place in Budapest, Hungary, from 20-23 November. The event was hosted by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and organised under the auspices of UNESCO, the International Science Council (ISC), and other partner organisations.
Throughout the four-day event, ALLEA contributed to several science-policy debates through a number of initiatives.
Side-Event on Research Assessment Reform
ALLEA hosted a side-event, titled, “Rethinking Research Assessment to Shape Innovative, Inclusive, and Impactful Science in Europe”, organised in collaboration with the Hungarian Research Network (HUN-REN) Headquarters. The initiative brought together members of the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA) to discuss how research assessment can be reformed to better support innovative and inclusive science in Europe. The panel debated a range of issues from appropriately recognising and rewarding peer review to updating research assessment systems to grapple with the challenges posed by generative AI, and discussed developing versatile and adaptable research cultures that support, nurture, and accurately assess early- and mid-career researchers by taking into account science activities that go beyond publishing papers.
Thematic Session on Regional Perspectives in Research Assessment
ALLEA, as part of CoARA, partnered with the Global Young Academy (GYA) to present a thematic session, titled, “Research Assessment – Regional Perspectives and Unifying Actions”, which looked at the research assessment reforms taking place across the world. The session explored regional perspectives on research assessment in both the Global North and the South and identified areas for unifying action across global science communities. Issues debated included how researchers are assessed in different geographies and disciplines, the influence of technological advances on assessment systems, the challenges of introducing new indicators, and CoARA’s bottom-up approaches to reform.
Hear what Dr Yensi Flores Bueso (Co-Chair, GYA) had to say about this session here.
Ministerial Roundtable on Academic Freedom and Safety of Scientists
ALLEA Executive Director Matthias Johannsen contributed to the Ministerial Roundtable IV – Freedom and Safety of Scientists, organised by ISC and UNESCO. He highlighted ALLEA’s ongoing commitment to safeguarding institutional autonomy and academic freedom worldwide, emphasising that “For ALLEA, defending academic freedom and trustworthy science is one of our strategic priorities. Groundbreaking research depends on the ability of researchers to work without undue interference.”
ALLEA Statement on Early Learning Opportunities for Shaping a Scientifically Literate Society
Dr Cliona Murphy, Royal Irish Academy representative, Associate Professor in Science Education at Dublin City University and Chair of ALLEA’s Working Group on Science Education discussed the role of scientific literacy in sustainable development at a session hosted by The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), UNESCO, and InterAcademy Partnership (IAP), during which she highlighted ALLEA’s recent statement advocating for the strengthening of science education curricula at the primary and post-primary level. Dr Murphy also offered an interview discussing ALLEA’s recommendations in the context of global science education, stressing the importance of citizens having a solid understanding of science, its methodologies, and its application to real-world challenges. “Learning about research ethics can also promote global citizenship as it encourages students to consider ethical issues across different cultural and geographical boundaries. All of this can contribute to the development of well-rounded and ethically-minded scientists and citizens,” she stated.
Throughout the event, ALLEA representatives engaged in numerous side meetings with a range of participants from other stakeholder organisations, including UNESCO, the International Network for Government Science Advice (INGSA), and IAP among others to explore avenues for future collaboration.
As the World Science Forum continues to serve as a key platform for dialogue between science, policy, and society, ALLEA remains committed to driving meaningful change and advancing its work to tranform research cultures to be more inclusive and impactful and safeguarding academic freedom, pivotal in pushing forward essential conversations on the future of science in Europe and beyond.
WSF 2024 attracted 1,200 delegates from 122 countries, who joined sessions and roundtable discussions including 100 lectures in 19 plenary and thematic sessions over four days on 20-23 November, with the aim of overcoming the present limits of the wide-scale implementation of science-based policy measures on a global level.
You can find videos of the different discussions at WSF 2024 here.
